The Houston Astros officially named Brad Ausmus their next manager Wednesday, a move that immediately ignited questions about new GM Randy Flores’ real decision-making power. See, Ausmus spent 10 seasons of his 18-year playing career in Houston, and he’s got a strong tie to former first baseman and current Astros senior advisor, Jeff Bagwell. Bagwell’s a trusted voice for owner Jim Crane, and get this, Ausmus reportedly even interviewed for the GM vacancy himself last month before Flores got the job! It sure makes you wonder how much sway Flores truly had in this pick, doesn’t it?
“The Choice I Wanted to Make”
Flores didn’t waste any time trying to shut down those whispers, describing Ausmus as “the choice I wanted to make” for manager. He laid out his side of the story from Las Vegas at the general managers’ meetings. Flores said he flew to San Diego to meet with Ausmus on Saturday, and they spent half the day together. Coming out of that meeting, Flores felt “very confident” he had found his guy. He also detailed how he pre-vetted Ausmus, talking with people Ausmus worked under, was the boss of, or played with. Flores even quoted trusted sources in the game saying Ausmus “absolutely deserves an opportunity,” a sentiment he heard “over and over.” Flores insisted that Crane told him directly, “It’s your decision,” when it came to the managerial hire.
Inside the Interview Process
The hiring process for Flores himself, and then for Ausmus, had some interesting twists. Flores said he interviewed multiple times with Crane for the GM role. In their first chat, Flores pitched “several” potential manager candidates, and Ausmus was on that list. Then, in their second interview, Crane apparently thought Ausmus would be a “solid candidate.” Flores later found out the Astros had already talked to Ausmus about the GM opening, but Flores still wanted that in-person meeting once he landed the GM job. He identified four finalists for manager: Ausmus, Albert Pujols, Morgan Ensberg, and Luis Urueta. Interestingly, Flores had played with Pujols on the Cardinals and was a college teammate of Ensberg at USC, but didn’t have that direct history with Ausmus. He did, however, talk “at length” with current Yankees manager Aaron Boone, a former USC teammate, about Ausmus, who spent the past three seasons as Boone’s bench coach in New York.
So, Brad Ausmus is in. It’s going to be fascinating to watch how this plays out in Houston. The manager position is locked in for the Astros, but the chatter around the front office and Randy Flores’ true influence feels like it’s just getting started.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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